Imagine a seal balancing a ball on his nose. Next, imagine that same seal playing the violin, while still balancing the ball on his nose (stay with me here). Now picture the ball-balancing, violin-playing seal also reciting each verse of “How Do I Love Thee?” (yes, in this example, seals can talk, and even perform poetry readings). He’s also turning around in circles, jumping up and down, painting a picture, and juggling a few bananas. This marine mammal has his hands (ahem, fins) more than full, you’d say.

Can you relate?

We know that as teachers, you have so much on your plates. And on a typical day in the classroom, you’re juggling at least 10 different tasks at the same time. You work hard to juggle it all, and it’s not easy.

We asked our fans on Facebook about some of the biggest classroom challenges they face. With well over 100 responses, we started to notice some overlapping issues. Thankfully, TpT resources can assist you in feeling a lot less like that seal (who just started baking a cake in the time in took for you to read this paragraph).

Real Solutions From TpT’ers

A few teachers on Facebook say they wish their students would be more independent as well as take more pride and responsibility in being part of the class. The Life Skills resources on TpT are a great place to start. Tori Gorosave – Journey Through the Middle takes a neat approach with her Classroom Classifieds resource in which students actually apply for jobs around the classroom by answering classified ads she’s created. There’s an interview process and a hiring process, as well as consequences if the job is not performed to par. “If we want to teach students to be responsible, we have to trust them with responsibilities,” she explains. “Teachers will love it because not only will the system eliminate a few things from their to-do lists, but they can also watch the children rise to the occasion and learn how to be responsible.”

Joy, Sara, and Jo all mention excessive chatting among students as something that gets in the way of lessons. As does Ces. “Oh, the noise, noise, noise, noise!” she writes. The lack of listening came up as a key concern as well. TpT’s selection of Classroom Management resources offer excellent solutions. For instance, reward coupons reinforce good behavior.

Sara, Christine, and Marci are tired of poor manners and constant bickering among students. Christine notes, “My kids are the most talkative and they can not get along. I’m tired of dealing with all of these arguments every…single…day.” Bucket Filling Compliment Starters by Mrs. Martin’s Room can help! Written prompts include, “You are a friend because you…” and “You make our class better by…” Another awesome resource? The Random Acts of Classroom Kindness Pack by Rachelle Smith. One teacher who’s used the product reports, “This is wonderful… my classroom needed this in so many ways.”

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